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Redwood Gardens
Redwoods live in habitats with heavy winter rain, frequent cool summer fogs, and acid soils. They create a dense shade suitable to a variety of ground covers, herbaceous perennials, and ferns.
Redwood Garden with Redwood Sorrel and Dwarf Conifer Garden in the Foreground
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a grove of eighty-year-old Redwoods in the garden. This incredible feature provided an opportunity to create an understory garden comprised of plants from the Redwood community. Ground cover selections include Redwood Sorrel, Wild Ginger, and Inside-out Flower, as well as, Western Sword Fern, Bleeding Hearts, and Deer Fern. For shrubs, selections such as Evergreen Huckleberry and Western Azalea work well. Understory trees are Dogwoods and Vine Maples. Under the Redwoods, a curved path leads to an antique stone bench, which is framed by Dogwoods that flower in mid-spring. The Dogwood is a selection that features the rootstock of Cornus florida crossed with our western mountain Dogwood, Cornus nuttalii. Its trade name is Eddie's White Wonder and it is particularly successful at elevations close to sea level.
Adjacent to the Redwood garden is a second garden where mounded soil is held in place with Hillsborough boulders, thus creating niches for a series of California native dwarf conifer selections. Among those used are three unique Coast Redwood dwarfs and two Douglas Fir dwarfs. The conifers were hand-selected from specialty nurseries in Oregon.
Redwood Garden with Mediterranean Style Entry and Dwarf Redwood in Historic Urn
This is another view of the Redwood garden (see "Redwood Garden with Redwood Sorrel and Dwarf Conifer Garden in the Foreground" above). The front entry of the house was redesigned. There, broken tile was replaced with new distressed and textured tile. An artist hand-painted selected tiles with images of Redwood branches and framed these with border tiles to create a carpet effect. Antique stone urns are planted with California native dwarf conifers.
Redwood Plant Specimens
Redwood Sorrel
Oxalis oregana
Low, evergreen, stoloniferous ground cover for moist shade. Can tolerate very low light levels. Favors acid soils. Trifoliate, cloverlike leaves and single pink, rose-purple, or white flowers in spring.
Western Sword Fern
Polystichum munitum
Large, evergreen fern with clumps of once pinnately compound fronds—each segment like a miniature sword. Tolerates deep shade. Occasional summer water is best.
California Wax Myrtle or Bayberry
Myrica californica
Large, evergreen shrub to 20 feet high with narrow, glossy green, fragrant leaves. Inconspicuous greenish flowers are followed by dark purple fruits. Grows rapidly but needs summer water and some shade.